How we view the persons of the Holy Trinity
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. When we begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross, we are calling to mind one of the core beliefs of the Christian faith: that God is one, and God is three.”¹ What do you think about when you invoke the Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Let us examine this relationship. What does the Trinity mean to us?
There is ONE God in three persons. The FATHER: The Father is the Creator, a mighty Ruler, He feeds us through growth, what we plant in our gardens He makes grow. The beef or pork we eat comes from animals He created. He created chickens whose eggs we eat for breakfast, and He provided this earth with bodies of water, water we have to drink. He created us human beings, our love for our spouses comes from Him. Our children are His gift to us, to parents.
The SON of God, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. He used to be with us here on earth until He died on the Cross for us, to redeem us. To redeem our sins, to give us the opportunity to live with God in Heaven. Even though the Son is no longer with us on earth, He is always with us in the Holy Eucharist on the Altar, and in our hearts and souls. He is in our thoughts if we let him and we should. We, the people of God, are involved in His redemption. We help other people to love Jesus and to evangelize the Faith, to tell others of our love for God. “We restore relationships and build the unity Jesus called for whenever we forgive someone who has hurt us. The one who listens with empathy to a grieving friend is helping to redeem them from the pain and isolation of their loss.”¹
The third Person of the Holy Trinity: the HOLY SPIRIT our advocate, our guide in this earthly pilgrimage. The Holy Spirit is said to be the love between Father and the Son, and indeed the three Persons of the Holy Trinity love each other totally. We should reciprocate this love by living a God-fearing holy life. Sin less, and if you can, Sin No More! The root of all sins lies in man's heart. If we love God, we will control our sinful inclination.
The Holy Trinity, we cannot live without loving the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They love us, we love them by living a holy life. Yes we can!
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
March 4, 2024
1. “Understanding the Trinity” FranciscanMedia.org